THE SCREEN; Murder Outs Farcically in 'It's a Wonderful World,' With Colbert and Stewart, at the Capitol

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Ben Hecht must have sent out native beaters with tomtoms and slapsticks to drive stray gags from miles around into the Metro corral for "It's a Wonderful World," presented at the Capitol yesterday. We haven't seen such a collection of small jokes in years, nor so much fuss about their delivery. The comedy is almost too strenuous for relaxation. Even Claudette Colbert and James Stewart, who have a flair for wit and humor, seem to be trying to be screamingly funny. It doesn't work out very well. We had the notion it would have been twice as amusing had every one worked only half as hard—every one, that is, but Mr. Hecht; he's too big a boy to be playing with whimsy still.Like "The Thin Man," "Fast Company," "There's That Woman Again" and too many others, it's a killing farce about a private detective, an unwanted feminine assistant (who finally, of course, effects the murderer's capture) and a couple of comedians from the Homicide Bureau. The story's destination is obvious from the start, but Mr. Hecht and Director W. S. Van Dyke have routed it around a bit so that Miss Colbert can raid an apple orchard with Mr. Stewart, so Mr. Stewart can masquerade as a Scout leader and do a turn in Summer stock up Saugerties way. No one is permitted to take the picture's two murder victims seriously, or the playboy languishing in the death house. Just comic props.

A version of this review appears in print on May 19, 1939 of the National edition with the headline: THE SCREEN; Murder Outs Farcically in 'It's a Wonderful World,' With Colbert and Stewart, at the Capitol. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe